Mechanism for separating side guides and raising pin separators

ABSTRACT

An improved apparatus for separating spring biased side guides and raising spring biased pin separators to prepare a pin feed tray to receive a stack of paper sheets.

United States Patent [191 Bookless 3,807,725 [4 1 Apr. 30, 1974 271/61 X271/61UX 11/1966 Eichom Mestre...........................

k1 mm C mm P& 97 564 mww WMN 0935 6209 4 738 8 03 009 3 2832 3 231 0 WTm P ME 8 mN I P G um. RS M F m S t Cm m EU v MGm M M U U George W.Bookless, Franklin Park,

[73] Asslgneez file" & Howell Company, Chicago, Primary Examiner Evon C.Blunk Assistant ExaminerBruce H. Stoner, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert A. Walsh [22] Filed: July 6, 1971 App].No.: 159,909

ABSTRACT 152] US (.1 271/171, 271/170 [51] Int. B65h l/04 19, 18, 36, Animproved apparatus for separating spring biased 271/170, 171

[58] Field 01271/61, 21

side guides and raising spring biased pin separators to prepare a pinfeed tray to receivea stack of paper sheets.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS R25,825 7/1965 Springer"...271/61 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ATENTEBAPR 30 m4 SHEET 2 0F 3 Inc/8%:George Bookless- 9" flay:

Pmmmm w I 3307725 SHEET 3 0F 3 Inc/enlar- 6607:96- CU BookZess.

l 1 U T f Y 4 4 ysh-ldm MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING SIDE GUIDES AND RAISINGPIN SEPARATORS CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION This applicationis related to copending application Ser. No. 159,859, now US. Pat. No.3,738,646 filed of even date herewith in the name of Casimir S. Samczykand is an improvement on the invention claimed therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to sheet feedingapparatus that separates sheets for feeding one at a time to aduplicating machine. More particularly, it relates to a pin feed tray.

The problem of feeding a single sheet from a stack has long beenrecognized in the duplicating art. One solution to this problem has beenthe use of pins disposed on top of the leading edge of the top sheet.Generally, two pins are utilized, one at each corner. The pins aremounted on a table which supports the stack of sheets and such anarrangement has come to be known as a pin feed tray.

The manner in which the pins are mounted has varied and each has itsdisadvantages. Pin feed trays in which the pins are mounted to moveseparately have the disadvantage that the pins may not apply the samepressure at their respective corners. Differences in the holdingpressure can cause the sheets to skew as they are fed into theduplicator and cause it to jam.

In some trays the pins are mounted on lever arms at tached to the feedtable. As the stack of sheets depletes the pins lower in an arc. Becausethey are lowering in an are, their angular relationship with the stackchanges and again significantly different holding pressures are appliedfrom the top to the bottom sheet in the stack. If the pins are mountedfor gravitational lowering they are susceptible to hanging up prior toreaching the stack.

Although some prior art devices have equalized the pressure at thecorners by mounting the pins on a horizontal rod these devices aresubject to binding if the rod is tipped out of the horizontal.

Commonly the pins include a downward projection that functions as afront stop. The stack abuts the front stop during loading to positionthe stack longitudinally with respect to the pins. The frictional forcesbetween the stack and the front stop restrain the pins from droppingonto the stack. Thus the operator must move the stack into abutment withthe front stop and then pull it away to permit the pins to drop.

A pin feed tray overcoming the above disadvantages was invented and isthe subject of the related application. That tray includes separatemechanisms for raising the pins and separating the side guides tofacilitate replacing the paper supply.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention improves upon the feed tray ofthe related application by utilizing a single mechanism to raise thepins and separate the side guides. The operator can prepare the tray toreceive a new stack of paper sheets by the movement of a single lever.

After the stack has been inserted the lever is returned to its initialposition to position the side guides and pins in their operative modes.In one of the preferred forms, the side guides center the stack beforethe pins drop into position on top of the stack. In another embodiment,those actions take place simultaneously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of this invention will beexplained further in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tray constructed in accordance withthe principles of the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of the underside of the tray shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the tray shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion'of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 7 is an alternate embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to thefigures wherein like reference numerals designate like parts a pin feedtray is indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The tray 10 includes a feedtable 12 having side guides 14 mounted on the feed table 12.

The preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 has been designed toaccept cartridge loaded paper, i.e., paper contained in a box. One endof the box is removed to expose the paper when it is loaded on the tray10. Accordingly, the side guides 14 include a guide 16 for the cartridgeand a guide 18 for the paper within the cartridge. The paper guides 18are closer together than the cartridge guides 16. However, conventionalside guides 14 of equal separation can be used with this invention andthe term side guide" as used herein is not limited to the illustratedtype of side guide.

The side guides 14 include flanges 20 which rest on the feed table 12.The side guides 14 are laterally slideable on the table 1 2 and includepegs 22 which extend beneath the table 12 through four lateral slots 24formed in the table 12. The lateral slots 24 restrain the pegs 22 frommoving longitudinally and thus maintain the side guides 14 in alignment.As'will be described hereinafter'the side guides 14 automatically centera paper supply and means are provided to separate the side guides 14during paper insertion.

A pair of vertical toothed guide slots 26 are provided in an extensionof the side guides 14. The guide slots 26 are disposed beyond theleading edge 28 of the feed table 12.

The leading edge of a tray is the edge nearest the duplicator. Thelongitudinal direction is the direction of paper travel (see the arrow29 in FIG. 1) and the lateral direction is perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction.

A rod 30 ishorizontally mounted in the guide slots 26. Splined portions32 are formed on the rod 30 and engage the teeth 34 in the guide slots26. The guide slots 26 are narrow enough to maintain the splines 32 30for lateral sliding movement along the rod 30. Pegs 38 extendfrom thepins 36 through the guide slots 26. The pegs 38 are captured by E-rings40.

The mounting details are better illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pegs38 are slideable in the guide slots 26 and thus the rod and pin assemblycan move up and down without changing the orientation of the pins 36with respect to a depleting stack of paper.

A spring 42 rides on an unsplined portion 44 of the rod 30 and biasesthe pins 36 downwardly. Thus the pins 36 remain in contact with a papersupply as it decreases in height.

FIG. 1 represents the tray when it contains a sup- 7 ply of paper. Forreasons of clarity the stack of paper sheets has been omitted from thefigure. As is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the sideguides 14 would abut opposite edges of the stack and the pins 36 wouldrest on the leading corners of the uppermost sheet in the stack. Thisexplains the raised positionof the pins 36 and as will become apparentlater, the separation of the side guides 14.

FIG. 2 is the underside of the tray 10. To make the side guides 14self-centering, a plate 46 is mounted for longitudinal movement guidedby the coaction of pegs 48 extending from the feed table 12 and twolongitudinal slots 50. Four angular slots 52 in the plate 46 capture thepegs 22 extending from the side guides 14. The coaction of the angularslots 52, the lateral slots 24 and the pegs 22 causes the side guides toseparate when the plate 46 is moved toward the leading edge 28 of thefeed table 12 and to come together as the plate 46 is moved toward therear edge 54 of the table 12.

A pair of springs 56 bias the plate 46 toward the rear edge 54 andconsequently bias the side guides 14 together. FIG. 2 illustrates theposition when the side guides 14 are in closest proximity. The peg andslot mechanism insures that the side guides 14 are always equispacedfrom the center of the table and because the springs 56 are ofsufficient strength to urge the side guides 14 together until they bothcontact the paper stack, by separating the side guides 14, placing thestack between them and releasing the side guides 14 the stack willautomatically be centered.

The mechanism for separating the side guides 14 for inserting a newstack of paper includes a lever 58 pivoted to the feed table 12 at 48. Acam 60 is formed in the lever 58 to act upon a cam follower 62 which isattached to the plate 46. As seen in FIG. 1, the lever may be moved fromleft to right through a slot 64 into a lock 66. The lock 66 is necessarybecause the lever is biased by a spring 68 to the position shown inFIGS. l and 2.

It is readily appreciated that so moving the lever 58 (left to right inFIG. 1 and right to left in FIG. 2) will force the cam follower 62 andthe plate 46 toward the leading edge '28 of the feed table 12. FIG. 3depicts the assembly in that condition. Conversely, removing the lever58 from the lock 66 permits the side guides 14 to come together andposition a stack of paper.

To raise the pins 36 a lifter 70 is provided to rotate from the positionshown in phantom in FIG. 4 to the position shown in solid therein andthereby raise the rod 30. As the lifter 70 is rotated it engages theunsplined portion 44 of the rod 30. In its raised position The lifter isattached to a rod 74 that is rotatably mounted on the underside of thetable 12. A link 76 is attached to a projection on the rod 74 and on apeg 78 extending from the lever 58.

As seen in FIG. 3, moving the lever 58 into the lock 66 rotates the rod74 and thus raises the pins 36. It will be remembered that so moving thelever 58 also separates the side guides 14. Consequently the tray 10 isprepared to receive a stack of paper.

Upon releasing the lever 58 and returning it to the position shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 it is desirable that the side guides 14 close first, andthe pins 36 are lowered thereafter. It is for this reason that the loop80 is formed in the link 76 such that the link 76 is loosely mounted onthe peg 78.

FIG. 6 illustrates the relationship when the lever 58 has been partiallyreturned to the position of FIGS. 1 and 2 from an initial position shownin FIG. 3. The cam follower 62 has been returned to its rearward mostposition which closes the side guides 14. However, the

peg 78 has not yet contacted the right side of the loop 80 and thereforethe lifter 70 is still in its fully raised position. Further motion ofthe lever 58 will cause the peg 78 to contact the right side of the loop80'and rotate the lifter 70 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

The single lever loading feature of this invention can be enjoyedwithout successively closing the side guides 14 and lowering the pins36. In FIG. 7 the loop 80 has been eliminated and thus the side guides14 will close and the pins 36 will drop simultaneously.

Thus, to insert a stack of paper on the tray 10 the lever 58 is movedinto the lock 66. With the pins 36 raised and the side guides 14separated a stack of paper may be positioned against the front stop 72.Returning the lever to its initial position closes the side guides 14 onthe stack and drops the pins 36 into their operative positions overlyingthe leading corners of the stack.

I claim:

1. In a pin feed tray having a feed table, a pair of downwardly biasedvertically slideable pin separators, and a pair of laterally slideableside guides biased to a position of closest proximity thecombinationcomprismg: i

a rotatable rod having alifter for raising said pins;

a slideable plate for separating said side guides;

a manually operable lever mounted to the underside I of said tray formovement between first and second positions;

means associated with said lever for sliding said plate to a position inwhich said side guides are separated as said lever is moved from saidfirst position to said second position; and

a link coupling said lever and said rod for rotating said rod andlifting said pins as said lever is moved from said first position tosaid second position.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said link is attached tosaid lever such that upon movement of said lever from said secondposition to said first posi tion said pins and said side guides aresimultaneously moved toward their biased positions.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said link is looselyattached to said lever such that upon movement of said lever from saidsecond position to said first position said side guides move towardtheir biased position prior to said pins moving toward their biasedposition.

1. In a pin feed tray having a feed table, a pair of downwardly biasedvertically slideable pin separators, and a pair of laterally slideableside guides biased to a position of closest proximity the combinationcomprising: a rotatable rod having a lifter for raising said pins; aslideable plate for separating said side guides; a manually operablelever mounted to the underside of said tray for movement between firstand second positions; means associated with said lever for sliding saidplate to a position in which said side guides are separated as saidlever is moved from said first position to said second position; and alink coupling said lever and said rod for rotating said rod and liftingsaid pins as said lever is moved from said first position to said secondposition.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said link isattached to said lever such that upon movement of said lever from saidsecond position to said first position said pins and said side guidesare simultaneously moved toward their biased positions.
 3. Thecombination set forth in claim 1 wherein said link is loosely attachedto said lever such that upon movement of said lever from said secondposition to said first position said side guides move toward theirbiased position prior to said pins moving toward their biased position.